Only Leilehua Could Stop Kahuku’s Run For State Crown
By Jack Danilewicz
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It was from only 26 yards away, but the ball seemed to hang in the air for an eternity - at least for the Red Raider Nation. Only after the referee gave the signal could the Kahuku faithful exhale.
Indeed, St. John Lessary’s field goal in the second overtime to help Kahuku outlast Farrington 22-19 in the OIA Red Conference championship game at Aloha Stadium Nov. 8 did more than provide their fifth title in six years.
Redemption was in the air for the program as well after Kahuku had been upset by Kapolei in the second round of the OIA playoffs in October of 2007. Kahuku rolled to a 10-2 record this season under coach Reggie Torres, including a 10-game win streak in between a loss to Kamehameha on opening night and their season-ending loss to Leilehua in the semifinals of the state football tournament.
Played before a statewide TV audience, the matchup of Farrington and Kahuku was one of the more memorable games of a memorable season with no shortage of drama. Lessary’s kick had ended a night of rugged defense and botched kicks by both teams, resulting in the tightest OIA title game in history. For his part, Lessary’s field goal also made up for a pair of missed point-after attempts earlier.
Lessary’s counterpart, Apelu So’oalo of Farrington, also missed two PATs, as well as field-goal tries of 24 and 43 yards in the overtime periods.
Kahuku’s Aulola Tonga, whose 89-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter had put Kahuku ahead, summed it up best when he told reporters afterward: “I was saying before the game that this was going to be a dream come true. I saw Johnny-boy (Lessary) make that kick. It was a dream come true.”
Any discussion of the top Windward prep stories has to begin with Kahuku and its run to the OIA title - their 11th since 1993. A recap of some of the other memorable teams and moments from 2008 follows.
Kalaheo, Kahuku Face Off In Epic Struggle Before Statewide TV Audience. When Kahuku and Kalaheo met in their OIA Red Conference finale at Mililani Feb. 1, both had already drawn first-round byes for the following week’s conference basketball tournament. Even so, a throng of 800-plus and a statewide TV audience both saw a championship-caliber game in which the Mustangs came from behind to edge the Red Raiders 45-37. The win completed a perfect 12-0 season for Kalaheo, its first since its 2001 squad won the state championship. Red East Player of the Year Cheynne Lishman and teammate Taylor Jay both had big fourth quarters to help drive them across the finish line. Despite being held scoreless for nearly half of the game, Lishman still figured big in the outcome, knocking down an NBA-range 3-pointer from the top which broke a 36-all tie with 1:34 remaining. The 6-foot-1 senior also added two free throws with 1:15 left to cap an 18-6 run by the Mustangs, who had nary a single turnover in the fourth quarter. Jay added 10 points and seven rebounds, including five in the final frame, as Kalaheo rallied from a seven-point deficit. Kalaheo went on to finish third in the OIA Tournament, dropping games to Kamehameha and Campbell at the state tournament to finish its season at 14-3 overall.
Kahuku Boys Basketball Team Wins Consolation Round at Hawaiian Airlines State Tournament. Willie Change scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Patrick Au tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds to lift Kahuku over Campbell, 65-62, in the consolation final of the Division I State Basketball Tournament at Stan Sheriff Center Feb. 2. The game solidified the finish for the Red Raiders, who had endured their share of near-misses in a 12-6 season. They had lost to Kamehameha-Kapalama (62-57) in their opening-round state tournament game before defeating Lahainaluna (62-49) in the loser’s bracket to advance to the consolation round final. Kahuku had finished fifth in the OIA Tournament, having earned the league’s final state tournament berth with a win over Kapolei in the play-in game days earlier. The game also was the last for Kahuku coach Nathan James, who resigned in the off-season.
Kailua Baseball Team Wins Consolation Title At State Baseball Tournament. Burton Talaesea and Keenan Tanaka each drove in three runs apiece in support of pitcher Ren Matsuki as Kailua routed Baldwin 18-4 in the consolation finale of the state baseball tournament May 10 at Les Murakami Stadium. The win put an exclamation point on another great season for coach Corey Ishigo and the Surfriders, who won the OIA Red East Conference crown and who had finished as the OIA Tournament runner-up to Pearl City for the second year in a row weeks earlier. Kailua dropped its state tournament opener 4-2 to Kamehameha-Big Island before bouncing back in an 11-1 win over rival Castle in the consolation bracket. Kailua outscored its three state tournament opponents by a total of 31-9.
Kalaheo Finishes Third In DII State Baseball Tournament. Kalaheo used key hits from Dylan Schmeding and Alika Kaanapu in support of winning pitcher Colby Lee to defeat Molokai 4-2 in the third-place game of the DII State Tournament May 10 at Central Oahu Regional Park. The win was among the highlights of what was a breakthrough year in the new Division II format. Kalaheo had finished fourth at the recent OIA DII tourney, losing the third-place game to Kahuku 3-2, but they regrouped from that disappointment to win three of their four state tournament games. Riveting wins over Kona (9-8) and OIA-champion Waipahu (3-1) lifted them in the semifinals, where they were beaten by St. Anthony’s 11-5. Kalaheo finished its season at 12-5 overall.
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Kahuku Boys Soccer Team Wins OIA DII Title. Noble Crowell’s fifth goal of the post-season gave the Red Raiders their first-ever OIA boys soccer title, 1-0 over Farrington, in the DII title game Jan. 26 at Mililani High School. Crowell’s goal, which came three minutes into the second half, and a stingy Red Raider defense were the difference as the OIA awarded a boys White Division crown for the first time. Crowell scored five goals in the regular season, then had two in Kahuku’s quarterfinal and semifinal wins over Waipahu and McKinley before adding his game-winner versus Farrington. Kahuku’s defense, meanwhile, continued its shutout streak. They outscored their OIA playoff opponents 7-0 and hadn’t given up a goal since Jan. 5 against Kailua when they entered the following week’s state tournament. A loss to Kapaa in the first-round ended Kahuku’s bid for a state title.
Kalaheo, Castle, Kailua make OIA’s Football Post-Season. The Kalaheo football team was the ‘feel good’ story of 2007 on the Windward side when they posted wins over eventual DII state champion Iolani and traditional power Castle en route to a 5-4 record. The Mustangs followed up that success with another great season in Division II this fall under coach Chris Mellor by going 7-4 and making both the OIA playoffs. In Division I, Castle finished 4-5 overall (3-3 in the Red Conference) against one of the state’s toughest schedules under Nelson Maeda. Knights senior Shaydon Kehano was named the Red East Offensive Player of the Year (he was also an All-Conference choice on defense) at season’s end. Castle lost to Waianae 29-13 Oct. 24 in their playoff game. Perhaps no team was saddled with more hard luck than Kailua, which was plagued by injuries as early as August and dropped several close encounters. They rallied under coach Gary Rosolowich, nevertheless, to beat Roosevelt and rival Castle and make the OIA playoffs, where they were defeated by Mililani 21-12 in the first round.
Kahuku Girls Volleyball Team Wins OIA Red Conference Title. Nile Te’o saved one of her biggest efforts for one of her biggest matches, contributing 15 kills, including four in the final set to help Kahuku stave off Moanalua 25-18, 21-25, 28-26, 22-25, 15-13 in the OIA Red Conference championship game Oct. 30 at McKinley Student Council Gym. Middle Amanda Tonga had eight kills and three of her team’s 11 blocks, while Elizabeth Blake finished with 42 assists for the Red Raiders, who went 16-0 against OIA opponents including the league’s post-season tournament and finished their season at 18-1 overall. Kahuku’s only loss of the season would come to state runner-up Punahou in the semi-finals of the Division I State Tournament the following week. Kahuku eventually finished third states. Te’o was selected Player of the Year in the Red for her efforts, while Red Raider coach Uila Fotu-Vendiola was Coach of the Year.
Castle’s Fung, Yamane, Win Individual State Judo Titles. May 10 was an exciting day for the Castle boys and girls judo programs as they saw freshman Patrice Yamane and junior Harvey Fung (220) win individual state championships in their respective divisions. Only a year earlier, as a sophomore out for judo for the first time, Fung had failed to place in the OIA’s Eastern Division, much less make the 2007 state championships. But with a solid base in wrestling, Fung was a quick study in judo. After an undefeated 2008 season in the East, Fung finished fourth in the OIA Tournament. But he rebounded big at the state tournament, winning four straight matches to win the title. Unlike Fung, who didn’t take up judo until high school, Yamane began at age 5. She had won her first 16 matches this spring before losing in the OIA finals to Mei Ling Keiki of Pearl City. When they met again in the state finals, Yamane had the upper hand.
Kahuku Girls Wrestling Team Takes State Title. Two first-place finishes and three runners-up added up to a landslide win for Kahuku - not to mention a record-setting day in the Girls’ Wrestling Championships March 2 at Blaisdell Arena. Danica Auna captured the 120-pound class, and Amanda Soliai the 155, while Kala’e Johnson, Cianah Hee and Anela Santiago placed second in their divisions to headline Kahuku’s fourth overall championship. The Red Raiders’ combined score of 152.5 was second only to the 2004 Farrington Governors’ 153.3 for the highest score ever, going back to 1998. Auna earned her second title in two years after triumphing in the 125-pound division as a junior and willingly dropped her weight class by a notch this year to create the best situation for her team. Soliai, Auna and teammate Christy Burt also were instrumental in Kahuku’s third-place finish as a team at the state judo championships in May, placing first, second and sixth, respectively, in their individual weight classes.
Kailua Girls Volleyball Team Finishes Third at DII State Tournament. Kayzsa Konohia racked up eight kills, and Ashlin Akau tallied six to lift Kailua to a 25-23, 25-16 victory over Molokai in the third-place game of the Division II State Tournament at Stan Sheriff Center Nov. 8. Upon further review, the unseeded Surfriders were only a few points from playing for a state championship after impressive wins over Seabury Hall and fourth-seeded Hilo in the first round and quarterfinals, respectively. A narrow loss to eventual state champ Hawaii Baptist in the semifinals ended the Surfriders’ dreams of a state title, but their win the following day over Molokai in the third-place game neatly summarized Kailua’s resiliency. Kailua had been the OIA DII runner-up to Kapolei prior to their state tournament appearance.
Contact Jack Danilewicz at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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